Week 16

The articles of this week call for a return of communal exchange of food, liberating from a global economy that can be disruptive and destructive. In the "Conserving Communities" article, Wendell Berry argues that U.S. is in a decline, result of the investment and industry and global economy, instead of community, agriculture and farming. He shows that in less than 100 years, the farming population went from 33% to 2%. For Berry, the globalization antagonizes the local communities, viewing people as replaceable and movable, and the land as a factory. Then, the author proposes rules for a more sustainable and local economy, prioritizing local distribution and supplies, and then sharing with the world. He advocates for a communal economy, protecting the people and the land. 

Then, in the "Global to Local" chapter, the objective is to propose many solutions for people that want to have better practices. They incentivize citizens to support their communities, keeping the money flowing locally. More than just individual choices, the chapter claims for national and global engagement, even replacing WTO with better international institutions that will support local communities and environmental sustainability. 

At the end, both chapters are positivist, not just making complains but showing solutions and individual actions. They suggest that the future must be local, communal and about the people, and not global corporations.